Promptings from Valhalla - 23. Verboten

“I hope I’m not too late. I know your office hours ended fifteen minutes ago. I’m so sorry, but I couldn’t leave work until my replacement arrived.”

Professor Drummond turned from his computer and regarded me with those sapphire eyes that rendered me speechless every time they settled on me. He gestured toward the round table next to his work area.

“No problem. I’ll be here for a while yet. I have a stack of essays to read.” He winked and slid his rolling chair over to the table as I took my seat. “What did you want to meet about?”

I wiped my hands on my scrubs. Damn. He hadn’t read my essay yet. Time for Plan B. “Well… uh… I was wondering… I mean….” I bounced my leg and played with the strap on my bag. “I could use some advice,” I finally stammered out.

“Well, I’m happy to help out, if I can.” The laugh lines around his cherry-red lips became more pronounced as they upturned into an amused smile.

“OK. Uh. You see… I wanted to know… well… um….” I trailed off when he placed his hand over mine, stilling my nervous movements and causing me to hold my breath.

“You’re much more eloquent when you write,” he stated, those gems of eyes practically sparkling as he met my gaze.

My eyes widened and I swallowed audibly. “You read my essay.”

He stood and lowered the blinds, even though it was already dark, then closed the door. As much as I wanted to enjoy the view of his backside, I stared at the table. I realized that being bold on paper and being bold in person were two vastly different things. I looked up when I felt pressure on my chin as Professor Drummond gently directed my attention to him. I sighed at the contact. It had been a long time since I’d had physical contact with another person.

“Yeah, yours was the first one I read.” He smiled as he flicked his eyes down, then back up to meet my gaze.

I swallowed, trying to alleviate the sudden dryness in my throat. “Did you like it?”

“’Forbidden Love’. Your take on the topic was very…enlightening.”

I leaned closer to him, drawn by the invisible connection setting all my nerves on fire. “In a good way?”

“Student/teacher relationships definitely fall in the ‘forbidden’ category, even if we—I mean your protagonists—are close to the same age.” He gestured between our matching salt and pepper gray hair.

I slid a piece of paper toward him. “There’s a solution to that problem.”

He laughed as he signed the form needed for me to drop his course. “One of the things I find captivating about you is your ability to find solutions to complex problems.”

“Is this problem really so complex? Is it even a problem?” I asked.

He shook his head. “It’s not a problem anymore.” He leaned forward until our lips met in a kiss even better than—

I jumped at the loud knock on my office door. My face blazed bright red and I desperately hoped I didn’t need to leave the cover of my desk anytime soon.

“Professor Hammond? I’m so sorry for bothering you. I know it’s after your office hours, but I had to work late and couldn’t get here any sooner.”

“That’s OK. I’m not leaving anytime soon. I have a ton of essays to read.” I pushed aside the sense of déjà vu that washed over me. I minimized my computer screen and took a sip of tepid water. I needed a minute to compose myself before facing the author of the essay I had just been reading. “Have a seat.” I gestured toward the round table next to my desk, then slid my office chair over to sit across from him. “How can I help you?” My heart pounded and I was sure my blood pressure was through the roof. It would have been nice to have had a little time to process what I had just read.

My student looked at me with chocolate brown eyes filled with a mixture of hope and fear. He bounced his leg and wiped his hands on his dark dress pants. I wasn’t sure what kind of work he did, but damn if that suit didn’t complement his salt and pepper gray perfectly.

He inhaled, then looked me in the eye the same way he did the first day he entered my classroom. I felt the same frisson run through me as I did then as he smiled with what I detected was a hint of sadness. “So you haven’t read my essay yet.”

“I was reading it when you knocked.” I paused. “Enlightening is a good adjective to describe it.”

His eyes widened and he stopped fidgeting in his seat. “In a good way?”

I chuckled softly. “This is playing out with some serious déjà vu.”

He removed a piece of paper from the worn leather bag next to him, and slid it toward me with a trembling hand.

“Dan, this is a nice fantasy, but I’m afraid there would be very real repercussions. I could lose my license and my job if I dated one of my students.”

“Even though we’re the same age? I’m not some naïve teenager. I haven’t been for a long time.”

“Age has nothing to do with it. What would happen if you dated one of your clients?”

“That’s why I filled out this form.”

“I’m not signing this.”

He flinched, hurt flashing across his delicate features. I hated causing him pain, when I wanted nothing more than to do the opposite.

“Dan, believe me, I want to sign this, but I can’t in all good conscience let you do this. If you drop my class now, you’ll have an incomplete on your record. Besides, I want to say I had the privilege of teaching you when you end up publishing your best-seller.”

He stared at me. “What?”

“You’re good. With a little bit of fine-tuning, I think you’ll be an outstanding author. I’d love to be your mentor, and possibly more, if you have the patience to wait until a more appropriate time for me to date you.”

A smile spread across his face, replacing the kicked puppy look. “So you do feel the same way? I wasn’t imagining it?”

“No, you’re not imagining it.” My heart about stopped at the look of joy my words produced. I wanted nothing more than to kiss him.

“Good,” he said.

“So are you willing to wait?” I asked.

He looked me over and nodded. “Yeah. I think so. I know it will be worth it.”

“Definitely.”